June newsletter

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Around the valle

june 2017 Issue no. 6

Carmona - if you are booked on this trip Please remember to bring your passports with you Chairmans report by sue jones It is with great sadness I have to report the death of Don Norris, one of the founder members of the El Valle asociacion.

I would like, on behalf of you all, to extend our deepest condolences to Amelia and their family.

His funeral will be held on

On a different note, you will see we are having some difficulty with our proposed BBQ, the BBQ centre by the football field has closed, he is re-opening at Ryugers in Puente but, unfortu-

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Thursday, June at the little church in Puente don Manuel at 12 o’clock.

nately the 30th June is the start of the Puente Feria so it would be impossible to hold it on that date. We are exploring all options and will continue to keep you informed - hopefully by the June meeting!

That’s all for this month, I look forward to seeing you soon.

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contents CHAIRMANS REPORT MAY MEETING

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PETANQUE COMPETION FORTHCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS & WALK SCHEDULE

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MAY WALK AND UPDATE FROM SAT.CO CHAIRMANS LUNCH

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COMMITTEEE

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MAY meeting by alan impey

The May meeting of the ElValle Asociacion took place on the 8th, a week later than usual due to the May Day public holiday. Perhaps this had something to do with a poor attendance of around 45 members which incidentally included 6 new members.

Sue opened the meeting at 7:45pm with her initial report followed by her reading Barbara's social scene overview.

One item of particular interest was that at the recent "Boogie Night" held at La ViĂąa, ViĂąuela, well over 50% of the people attending were non-members of El-Valle and had paid the extra cost to be there!!!

Two things arise from this, 'where were the members' and 'can we get the non members to join'!!!!!

The night's entertainment was in the form of a Table Top Treasure Hunt, compiled by Stewart and Chris.

They had spent considerable time and effort combing through different newspapers/periodicals looking for items on which to base questions or pictures to be identified and then the teams of six had read the questions, look at the pictures and then answer the questions, find the pictures and say in

which reading material they had found their answer.

It was entertaining stuff and as in past similar events it became very competitive and after the marking and subsequent challenges a winning team was announced and the bottles of wine awarded.

THE WINNING TEAM Regular readers of these reports may well notice that a familiar face appeared yet again in a winning quiz team, YES I mean you Ian!!!!!!!

I can also say that there is no truth whatsoever in the rumour that one of the quiz/competition compares was consigned to the spare bedroom that night, he was in fact consigned to a spare house!!!!!!!!!

After the dust had settled and order was restored the draw for the Cash Box took place but sadly none of the numbers drawn, mine included, managed to find

that elusive key and the box rolls over to next month.

It was around 9:30pm that Sue closed the meeting and hopefully at the next meeting, June 5th, a larger turnout can be expected.

Thanks as usual to our committee for the meeting and entertainment.

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Annual petanque competition by alan impey Tuesday 16th May 2017 and time for the annual petanque competition held at the Torre del Mar petanque pista on the paseo del maritimo.

As with past events it was organised

by Chris, El-Valle treasurer, incidentally the winner in the last two stagings!!!!!

It was pointed out that the governing petanque body were keeping a close eye on this event to ensure fair play!!!!!

Two leagues of four teams were formed with the winners of each league playing each other in the final!!!

Competition was fair but keenly contested within the two leagues, and within the leagues each team played three matches.

My team, consisting of myself, Margaret, Sue and Yvonne completed our first two games running out as winners in closely contested matches.

Our third game to decide a place in the final was also keenly contested and it was during this game that we were advised of LOCAL RULES!!!! by a member of our opposing team!! no mention of these rules prior to or since the match!!!!

It seems that if the team having control of the jack think that it has gone to too great a length they can retrieve the jack and throw it again to a length that they are more comfortable with!!!! also the minimum distance that the jack can be thrown is governed by whatever tree happens to be growing alongside the pista!!!!

Strange, but who are we to argue with the experts especially when that team makes the final and eventually wins the tournament!!!!

Back to this third match to decide a place in the final!!!! we eventually lost, 13 to 12, which left our conquerors, Anne's team, Anne, Brian, Shirley and Keith facing Stewarts team, Stewart, Marj, Viv and Enid facing each other for victory.

The eventual winners were Anne's team so my team can rest in the knowledge that we lost by one point to the eventual champions!!!

Following the tournament we all retired to Tannit for menu of the day, pre-ordered, and very enjoyable especially as we were all refunded 2â‚Ź a couple due to price re- structuring!!!!!

Special thanks is needed, I think, to one of our waitresses, HELEN, who was extremely pleasant and helpful throughout lunch working very hard to keep all 35 of us in food and drink!!!

Thanks also to Chris who organised the whole event making it into a pleasurable experience.

Prizes were awarded during the meal, bottles of wine to the runners up, similar to the winners plus a set of shiny new balls each!!!!!!

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FORTHCOMING MEETINGS June 5th

Music night with Eliza Handley

July 3rd

Quiz Night

AUGUST

NO MEETING

September 4th

Mystery Evening!!!

October 2nd

Talk by Mario Blanke (Mayor of Alcaucin) 1 question per member, no personal questions, Questions to be handed to a committee member by end July

June 6 to 8 2017 th

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3 day, 2 night trip to carmona staying at the ho tel alcazar de la reina, a beautiful mudejar building We will leave mis tapitas at 07:30, there will be a stop on the way for coffee.

During the stay there will be two guided tours and lunch will be included on the second day. On the day of departure we will travel to osuna for a guided tour and again lunch will be included before we leave for home.

Price €175 members €185 non members

Sold out FRIDAY, 30th RD JUNE BBQ

COME AND ENJOY A BBQ AND MUSIC MEMBERS €10 NON MEMBERS €12.50 we hope to have more information by the june meeting, please bear with us!!!

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Menu del dia July 18

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Caniillas de aceituno Details to be confirmed

SEPTEMBER 22ND TRIP TO CASARES A Guided visit of the historical center of Casares, for approximately 1 hour and a half, we will stroll through the most emblematic streets and alleys of the town as well as the ascent to the Castle, a walled fortress of Arab origin. From the Castle, we can see the views that cover much of our coast, Strait of Gibraltar and if the day is clear, we can see the coasts of Morocco.

After lunch, we will continue with the guided visit of the Baths of the Hedionda, a sulfurous spring with a building dating from Roman times WHICH WERE later finished by the Arabs, in the style of thermal baths.

MEMBERS €17 NON MEMBERS €20

WALKS SCHEDULE JUNE 15th

Led by Alan Clay in the Torrox area. Start at the main car park as you enter Torrox Pueblo. Start 11:00 PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE DUE TO EL VALLE TRIP THE PREVIOUS WEEK

July 13th

Led by Stewart & Elaine on the coast somewhere. Start 19:00 TBA

AUGUST 10th

Led by Chris and Jeaneette Mogg in the Velez Malaga area Start TBA at 19:00

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May walk by alan impey Thursday 11th May 2017.

A not too promising weather forecast prompted Martyn and Rebecca, this month’s walk leaders, to email as many would be walkers as possible that we would now meet outside El Rancho-Grande in Alcaucin where a decision would be taken whether to walk or not!!!

I arrived around 10:45 to find Rebecca waiting to greet any walkers and she told me Martyn was up at the original meeting point in case anyone had not seen the email and had gone there as advertised.

Everyone it seems had got the message and Martyn re-joined us about 11:15am and the revised walk route was explained and also food choices made for the following lunch at El Rancho-Grande.

There were 23 walkers, all of whom were eating, and a further 5 diners.

We set off through the village and walked up to the school at the top before climbing again up the track through the trees to eventually arrive at the balcon area with

great views over to the embalse and also over to Zafarraya.

From here we followed the vehicle track passed the holiday let bungalows before joining the main arterial track through the Parque Natural which runs from Alcaucin Pueblo to the Zafarraya plains.

We followed this route as far as the Ibex statue view point and after a break there started the return journey. On reaching the vehicle track back towards the holiday let bungalows some of the group elected to main on the road back to Alcaucin and others to return on the much more pleasant route we had followed out.

Everyone came together again at El Rancho Grande where two long tables were set for our lunch.

Up until now the weather had been great for walking but dark rain bearing clouds could be seen gathering and approaching!!!

As the rain started it was decided that although there was an overhead roof it would be wise to move inside which we duly did.

The menu del dia was, as we have come to expect, very good and at 9â‚Ź a head good value as well.

Thanks to Martyn and Rebecca for their efforts in ensuring the walk and meal went ahead.

News from sat.co by dick atterbury Many of you out there in viewing land may be using the NON Sky method of receiving your Sky channels. Maybe it is that at the moment you are missing all the Sports and Films that were available to you. Well do not fret as we have been working on the problem and have found most of the programmes missed on yet another satellite. Oh no I hear you say not another dish on the roof. Not at all!

All we have to do is adjust the dish

or complete a small upgrade to restore most of the channels and provide up to 800 new ones.

Some examples, F1 channel, Moto GP All the football premium games.

Euro Sport 1 and 2 in HD, loads of films. Give us a call for a demonstration or a Hand out of the channels available.

There have been more changes to the Spanish TV service and if you carry out a Retune of your TV set it

will restore lost channels and add a few more. Have a go but if you get stuck give us a call to help you through it.

Check out the new range of TV sets from LG. They have introduced some new very light weight sets with very low power consumption.

Always check the purchase of a new TV to ensure you get the right number of HDMI and USB sockets.

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Chairmans lunch by alan impey Friday 12th May 2017, time for the El-Valle Chairpersons Luncheon.

This annual event is used to mark either the standing down of the chairperson and election of a new chair or, on occasion, the re-election of the standing chairperson.

Simultaneous with this is a big thank you to all the committee who have worked throughout the year to keep the El-Valle Asociacion functioning and providing the membership with all the social events/trips that have proved so successful.

This year the, event was held at Meson Sara and marked the standing down of Carol and the election of Sue to the chair and is a very big thank you in a small way for all the

hard work throughout the year by the whole El-Valle Asociacion committee, both standing down and newly elected, on behalf of the membership.

Once again, thanks to all those who strive to ensure the successful running, and continuation of the long running El-Valle Asociacion.

Driving in france information from the rac

France has introduced 'clean air' windscreen stickers, as a legal requirement in some of its major cities, to identify a vehicle’s emissions levels.

British drivers heading to the France capital are advised by the RAC that driving without a France 'clean air' sticker, called a Crit'Air vignette – which costs as little as £3.20 – makes them culpable for an on-the-spot fine of up to £117.

What are the French 'clean air' stickers?

The French clean air stickers - called Crit'Air vignettes - are part of a six-category sticker system that applies to all motor vehicles in certain areas to identify what emissions they produce.

The six categories have six colours that denote how heavily polluting the vehicle is according to its Euro emissions standard, ranging from green (Crit’Air 1, electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles) for the cleanest, to black (Crit’Air 6 mostly older, diesel cars) for the dirtiest.

Why have they been introduced?

The vignette, or sticker system has been introduced to reduce the emissions output in larger cities, so on days where certain cities are at risk of reaching their Euro emissions limit, heavily polluting vehicles can be refused entrance based on the Crit’Air sticker they are displaying on the windscreen.

What areas and vehicles do they affect?

The stickers are currently in use in Paris, Lyon and Grenoble.

The Crit’Air initiatives applies to all cars, motorbikes and lorries and affects both French residents and foreign drivers - although if you have a particularly old car that does not conform to any emissions standards, you won't be eligible for a vignette and you won't be permitted to drive your vehicle during those times when restrictions are imposed. It is also worth noting that the Crit'Air scheme also applies to disabled vehicle owners.

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How much do they cost and where do I buy them?

Prices for stickers for foreign-registered vehicles have been set at €4.80 per vignette (as of 1 February 2017).

You can apply online for a sticker via the official Crit’Air website.

You will need to know your vehicle’s European Emissions Standard - find out your car's European Emissions Standard using our helpful table. If your car doesn't meet any emissions standard, you can't apply for a vignette and you will not be permitted to drive when restrictions are in force.

You will also need to upload to the website an image or scan of your vehicle's V5C registration form/log book.

This must be uploaded in JPEG, PNG or PDF format and the file size must be under 400KB. If the image you take of your document is too large, you may need to use an image editor to reduce it to under 400KB. Converting an image to PDF format can also help to reduce the file size.

From 31 March 2017, all eligible foreign-registered vehicles must display an appropriate sticker, or face a fine.

Important: The RAC is aware of non-official, third party websites selling Crit’Air vignettes for more than seven times more than the rate set by the French government – motorists should ensure they only buy a sticker through the official Crit’Air website.

Please be aware: The ordering process can, in some cases, take up to six weeks to be delivered, make sure you factor this in before you travel/ What happens if I don't buy one?

Fines of between €68 and €135 (between £59 and £117) are in place but we expect French police to be lenient in enforcing the new system during its introductory phase from January to March 2017.

RAC European breakdown spokesman Simon Williams says: "British motorists travelling to Paris, Lyon and Grenoble need to make sure they don’t get caught out by the new Crit'Air scheme that has come into force.

"The scheme requires vehicles to have an emissions sticker clearly visible on the windscreen. The penalty for not displaying one is an on-the-spot fine of between €68 and €135 (about £58 to £117).

"Foreign vehicles will be allowed to drive in central Paris without the sticker until 31 March, but our advice is to apply for one as soon as it is possible – from 1 February at the official Crit’Air website (your search engine should let you translate the site to English).

"We are aware of third-party websites already selling stickers for substantially more than French drivers are being charged by the French government, which motorists need to be wary of.

"From the beginning of February, the onus will be on UK car owners to check the Euro emissions standard of their vehicle by checking this table, visit the official Crit'Air website and apply for a sticker. We'd recommend drivers do this well before they intend to travel so they don't run the risk of driving without one."

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Asociacion el valle del embalse Committee 2017/2018

Chair & Newsletter Editor Sue Jones Tel: 680407894

Treasurer: Chris Wishart Tel: 609952926

Almoner: Christine Goreham Tel: 635361233

Secretary: Stewart Common Tel: 647076177

Joint Vice Chair

Barbara Jenkinson Tel: 616264067

Joint Vice Chair Dorothy Girvan Tel: 676320615

MEMBERS

Elaine Edwards Tel: 647076177

Peter Girvan Tel: 676320615

Carol Caldwell Tel: 635291532

Bethune McCarroll Tel: 634404169

Yvonne James Tel: 666619145

INFORMATION NEWSLETTER EDITOR newslettereditor2012@gmail.com WEBSITE - www.el-valle-asociacion.com A REPRESENTTIVE OF THE COMMITTEE WILL BE ON DUTY EVERY FRIDAY BETWEEN 11:30 AND 12:30 AT MESON SARA